State of the Union

Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, the semi-regularly updated site for all things related to Un, or at least stuff this blog writer finds interesting.

President George W. Bush will present the State of the Union Address on Tuesday. Regular programming will be cancelled so the leader of this country shall tell Congress and the American people how the nation is doing and his plans for the future. I use the term "his" as all previous Presidents were male. Until there is a female president, I shall use "his" unless the premise of Commander in Chief actually becomes true.
He'll most likely talk about the major issues of this time: domestic wiretaps, the war on terrorism, etc. Expect him to talk about how the world is much safer since democracy is now a part of Iraq. The economy is stronger due to tax cuts. America will be safer if we have domestic wiretaps.
As an American citizen, it is my patriotic duty and obligation to warn everyone that accepting everything the President says at face value is not anti-American or unpatriotic. Questioning the status-quo is patriotic. If the Founding Fathers didn't question the legitimacy of being under British rule, there would be no United States of America.
To better facilitate the spread of democratic ideals and a sense of rational patriotism, I offer the following examples of common logical fallacies that people and Presidents use. Thanks to Stephen Downes and his excellent website explaining logical fallacies.

1. Slippery Slope: a faulty use of "if-then" premises that necessarily do not follow from the beginning premise.
EX: If we do not allow for a domestic surveillance program, then it will allow the terrorists to organize. If the terrorists organize, then they will plan another attack. If we do not stop their planning, the America will be attacked just like it did on 9/11.
2. Appeal to Consequence: The author points to the disagreeable consequences of holding a particular belief in order to show that this belief is false
EX: You can't agree that the President's powers can be limited because this will make America a target for terrorist attacks.
3. Prejudical Language: use of loaded emotional words to attach moral goodness to a proposition.
EX: Wireless wiretaps are good because without them, another terrorist attack will happen, just like the attacks on 9/11. (Note the use of terrorist attack and 9/11. The President and Vice President use "9/11" and "terrorist" frequently to lend support to their actions.)
4. Style Over Substance: as the term implies, the argument or arguer is presented in a way to add to the credibility of the argument.
EX: Instead of "domestic surveillance" the phrase "terrorist surveillance" is used. Same program, different name. Nobody wants to go against a "terrorist surveillance" program. And if you make the presenter look like a "friendly and open" person, what have they got to hide? (other than a ruthless personality that will stop at nothing to get what they want)

These are just a few examples of logical fallacies. There is a larger and more complete list of logical fallacies at Stephen Downes' website. Remember to do your patriotic duty: listen carefully and question everything.

That's all for now.


Logical Fallacies
http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm